Most of us spread ourselves thin at the best of times. This is only heightened with year-end deadlines and all of the holiday busyness. It’s enough to turn a calm, cool & collected professional into something akin to dried out turkey dinner … dry, burned out and downright nasty.

The challenge is that we only have control over so much of our time. There are the non-negotiable deadlines, the meetings the emails, and additional holiday gatherings that leave little time to get “our” work done.

And while I love the thought of cloning myself, we really do have to work with what we’ve got.

Here are some key strategies to keep us calm and cheerful right through into the New Year:

1)      Pick your top goal or project
Sure – you want to get through 18 projects.

So do I. But we both know that ain’t gonna happen this year.

Pick your number one goal. Focus on that. If you get it done, pat yourself on the back. And then move on to your next goal. Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek calls this ‘selective ignorance’ (which incidentally was the Webster’s 2010 Word of the Year). Essentially, Ferris recommends that we turn off and tune out the distractions so we can focus on what we really care about. I couldn’t agree more!

Related article: Why can’t we get this prioritizing thing right?

2)      Set short-term deadlines
It is much easier to stay productive in the short-term. Deadlines that are far off in the future are easy to ignore. Break a big goal down into small chunks and set short-term deadlines. Small, consistent wins do a great job of motivating us and add up to big changes rather quickly.

Related article: Does Procrastination Boil Down to Temptation?

3)      Tell someone
We can let ourselves off the hook too easily at times. So it can be pretty powerful to tell someone else. Pick someone who will do a good job of holding you accountable.

4)      Get rid of other jobs
What can you get rid of to lighten your load? The Pareto Principle states that 20% of what we do brings 80% of the impact. What low-value tasks are sucking up a lot of your time?

Once we know what our top priorities are, we need to seriously consider off-loading the other stuff.

There are lots of great approaches for identifying the lower-value activities. Mike Cloutier uses the 3 Balls approach to manage an overwhelming workload. In this article, he talks about glass balls (for the things that must be done), rubber balls (the things that should be done) and lead balls (the things that could be done). Stever Robbins uses the “prune, prune, prune” approach as a means of “coping with too much to do”.

5)      Leave a buffer
If you abide by the above tips, this one should be a breeze. Things come up – they always do. So build in some free time. And get to sleep early. It is amazing how much more productive we are after a good night’s sleep.

Related article: Is it time for a break yet?

Hopefully these five tips will help you from spreading yourself too thin. What are your sanity saving plans? I would love to hear your suggestions and tips.

In the best Dr. Phil voice that I could muster, I asked, “So how’s that workin’ for ya?”

As I suspected, in many ways it was working for him. Yes, this approach made things harder for those around him, and he ends up sacrificing more personal time than he wants to, and his stress level tends to be higher than ideal. But at the end of the day, he is still able to get things done.   And a lot done at that. By most accounts, he is a widely successful individual.

Changing our ways is hard at the best of times. But when the consequences of ‘last minute-itis’ are not that great, it is hard to break the habit.

Sometimes, other people almost give us too much of a break when we miss deadlines. We avoid penalties, when really we probably could benefit from a penalty once in awhile.

In these situations, we need to set our own standards. What does a deadline mean to you? Even if ignoring a deadline is essentially ‘penalty-free’, are you still going to do it? Your professional reputation, impact on others, personal life and stress level are on the line after all.

Focusing on getting things done sooner rather than later takes commitment and discipline. Are you up for the challenge?

Same deal applies if someone offers us $50 today versus $100 tomorrow -  most of us would choose to wait one day for the higher pay-out.

But as the wait time increases, most of us change our mind. If someone offered us $50 today versus $100 in a year, most would choose $50 today. The dollar difference remains the same, but something about the delayed reward prompts us to choose the immediate pay-out.

Even Kids Find it Hard to Resist Temptation

Not surprisingly, kids are no better off. A rather ‘cold-hearted’ group of Stanford researchers asked children to resist eating a marshmallow right in front of them. They told the children that they would get two marshmallows if they simply waited for 15 minutes. Then the researchers left the room and watched the children squirm. The request proved to be far too tempting for most children who gobbled up the single marshmallow within minutes.

Goals and Actions Don’t Always Line Up

Despite our best intentions, immediate actions don’t always line up with obvious long-term gains. We might want to wake up early to get cracking on that project, but our warm bed is just too cozy. We may want to lose a few inches for the upcoming holiday party, but find it hard to resist that double-chocolate fudge cookie at today’s luncheon buffet. You get the picture.

Short-term Sacrifices Are Not in our Nature

Scientists talk about our preference for short-term rewards, versus larger payoffs later. They use the term “hyperbolic discounting” to describe how we discount future gains when it requires short-term sacrifices.

In other words, we deem $50 today as more valuable than $100 a year from now. One marshmallow now is better than two later. And that cookie at lunch sure was yummy.

But What about Our Long-Term Goals?

It is worth saying that some children were able to resist the initial marshmallow temptation, thereby reaping the rewards of more treats. These children did so by distracting themselves with other short-term interests like turning away and kicking the desk.

And clearly, there are many times when we adults are able to achieve big, long-term goals.

How exactly are we able to do this, given our tendency to be side-tracked by short-term distractions?

Project managers talk about breaking big goals into smaller steps. David Allen talks about focusing on the next actionable step. And I consistently tout the benefits of short-term goals.

There is nothing like a little deadline pressure and accountability to help face a short-term sacrifice head on.

Sure, most of us procrastinate from time to time (myself included; don’t let my ‘Productivity Consultant’ title lead you to think that I don’t get tempted from time to time).  But now that I have learned the importance of the short-term, I am closer to kicking this habit for good.

We definitely know that focusing leads to better work. But do we really need to block out all noise in order to focus?  Couldn’t we just have a bit of background music?

Ironically, there are many indicators pointing to the fact that music might not be such a bad distraction after all.

1)      Music can block out distractions

Music can help to drown out other (more distracting) background noises. Music has also been found to engage the area of the brain involved with paying attention. This might help us to focus on the present task and avoid drifting off to other topics.

2)      Music may boost our concentration and productivity

Classical music has been cited as a great way to increase concentration and productivity. Some researchers claim that music helps us to organize incoming information. Other researchers cite that music with constant beats help us to march along in a productive fashion. Slow classical music (whose timing is about that of a human heart at rest) is supposed to help one concentrate best of all. Regardless, music without words tends to be recommended.

3)      Music may boost our learning

Researcher’s coined the “Mozart Effect” to describe the short-term enhancement of spatial-temporal skills (like those crucial in math and chess) after listening to Mozart’s compositions (which are very sequential). Does this translate into better problem solving skills in the workplace? This appears to be an untested question, but certainly an interesting theory.

Other researchers caution that this so-called “Mozart Effect” is minimal (or non-existent), however, so we should not expect to turn into geniuses by simply tuning into the classics. It is worth noting that Albert Einstein allegedly credited much of his intelligence to having learned to play the violin.

4)      Music can inspire creativity

Some proponents argue that music (especially upbeat tunes) helps to clear mental blocks and boost creativity. One author suggested that music occupies the part of our mind that hinders our creative abilities. “Like a soothing lullaby, music puts the worrisome unfocused part of the mind to sleep so the productive side can get to work.” Regardless, music can help to spice up a task.

5)      Music helps to improve our mood

It is hard to be truly productive if we are not in a good mood. Music has been shown to improve our mood, resulting in higher levels of dopamine – the ultimate feel-good neurotransmitter. Music has also been found to reduce stress hormone levels by as much as 41%. This alone could help lead to more flow and natural decisions in our day.

Summing it all up: does music help?

As with so many things, the questions still outweigh the answers. And some studies find no positive impact of music on our ability to focus.

Does music help you to focus? This may be a question that only you can answer. If the answer is yes, then by all means tune in.

Ironically, Ann Gomez sat in a coffee shop, humming along to music, while writing this blog.

The True Fire Fighters

Ironically, fire fighters (who are dealing with true crises) seem to be fairly calm.

Fire departments seem to live by the ethos “Let chaos reign, then rein in chaos”. With every second counting, they literally drop everything to respond to a fire.

Yet outside of these fires, they do many things to rein in the chaos. They test their equipment, they train and yes, they wash their trucks. When is the last time you saw a fire truck broken down on the side of the road?

How to Survive the Chaos

When a crisis hits, it often requires an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach and we (like the fire fighters) drop everything to respond.

Ironically, the things we do outside of times of crisis are the things that best prepare us:

1)      Set clear priorities: It’s okay to have a lot of goals. But the fastest way to get through them is to focus on one at a time. We only slow our progress when we perpetually jump from one thing to the next.

2)      Single-task: Multi-tasking is a myth. Focus is far more efficient and leads to better work. Turn your email off. They can survive without you (for a little while anyways).

3)      Establish simple systems: We waste time looking for information and generally getting bogged down. Establish simple systems to deal with the little things (email, To Do lists, paperwork, etc.) so you can get on with the doing.

4)      Set short-term deadlines: The evil procrastination goblin loves when we don’t have a deadline – at least not one in the short term. Set a deadline and tell someone else. A little bit of pressure is a great way to tighten our backlog.

5)      Strive for “good enough”: Better is the enemy of the good. Yes, things can usually be better, but is it worth the price? The U.S. Marine Corps uses the 70% rule: if you have 70% of the information, have done 70% of the analysis and feel 70% confident, then act.

6)      Push back: Is it really a crisis? Do you really need to drop everything? Remember that we train people how to work with us.

7)      Take a break: We absolutely need recovery time. Outside of crisis times, build in some breathers. Celebrate with you team. Or steal some personal time. Rest up for the next adrenaline rush.

You can handle the inevitable chaos

Fire departments cannot anticipate fires, so they need to prepare themselves to deal with these unpredictable events. You can too with a focus on upfront planning. If we can avoid hanging out on the edge of our capacity, the crisis won’t be able to send us over the edge, and we will finally be able to take 911 off of our speed-dial.

Movement does wonders

I am not referring to the structured exercise and sports activities here (even though these do wonders as well), but to the few minutes of stretching, walking around, climbing a few flights of stairs, or whatever movement you can fit in in a few minutes to get re-energized and ready for the next task. Here are some basic ideas as a starter and I would also like to help you design your own breakthrough movement routine–so stay tuned for a follow-up blog article on the topic:

1. Adopt a stretching routine that you like or design your own. If you search for “stretching videos” on the web, you get about 14,000,000 results. So plenty of ideas out there. I included 3 of these results below to get you started.
2. Walk to the other side of the office, or office complex, or maybe around the block! Fresh air would be a highly desirable added benefit if at all possible.
3. Go up and down a few flights of stairs and do it intentionally as if you had a purpose. By the way, you “do” have a great purpose.
4. Go to the kitchen area, but this time go briskly and instead of food or coffee, get some water, and get back briskly!
5. Organize your desk and your files but again, do it with intention and with energy.
6. In addition, when on the phone, or in a web conference, stand up, move around, and stretch. Take advantage of the web in a different way!
7. Finally, find a companion who likes to do this with you a few times a day, so you can remind and encourage each other.

Most importantly, it would help to have a variety of these movement activities ready so you can spontaneously use the one that is most applicable to the situation at hand. Keep a list handy. Maybe post one closeby. Put a check mark every time you do one.

When making your list, have some activities that are short for times when all you have is a minute or two. Have others that are longer for these 5 or 10 minute stretches. Maybe one or two that are even longer for when you really need to get away from that chair!

Remember to not let more than 40 minutes go by without invoking movement! If you guess why 40 minutes, you will get a copy of my Accomplishing More With Less book!

Screeeeeeech!!!

It's important to take breaks during your work day

Wait a second. Is it just me, or is life as busy as ever? I feel like that ‘zen’ summer feeling has snapped shut, as quick as a brand new school backpack.

Not that I am afraid of working hard, but the ‘relentlessness’ gets to me at times. With that said, I am determined to maintain a teeny bit of that good ol’ summer feeling all through the fall and winter.

I know, I know …

I know that the secret is to take more breaks. (I also know that I am supposed to floss each night but that isn’t happening too often.) The trouble is that once I ramp up with work, it doesn’t seem as though there is time to stop. There is always more to do.

A Lesson Learned

I needed to really convince myself that breaks were a good thing before committing to them. So I dug in and did some research, coming up with a pretty inspiring list.

Three great reasons to take a break:

1. We get more done

After a break, we come back to work more refreshed and focused, able to produce more work at a higher quality in less time. With less time available to work, we are forced to go right to the core of what needs to get done. We strip away the distracting tasks. We focus on our priorities. And at the end of the day, our impact is often higher.

2. We become more creative

Breaks can expose us to a different context and new ideas. Our imagination works best when we are relaxed and we often come back to work with some amazing ideas that lead to better work.

3. We keep things in perspective
Breaks provide us with an outlet from work frustrations. Whether we sweat it out at the gym or laugh it out over lunch with a friend, it is important to have releases in our day. When we step back, we often realize that things are not worth worrying about. (When we step really far back, we realize that most things fall into this category.) Breaks help us to roll with the punches at work, and not get too emotionally charged about the little things.

Without a doubt, there are times when we have to work hard. Really hard. Sure, we can all push through and skimp on sleep to meet a deadline. But using this approach over the long term seriously harms are productivity.

At the end of the day, breaks help to remind us to make time for the things that are important to us. And that leads to a better life. Now that is a balance I am willing to strike.

It started with a book endorsement and ended in an apology.  Oprah’s biggest self-admitted mistake in 25 years arose from a delegating blunder between her and her producers.

Oprah supported author James Frey in 2006 when we was at the centre of a media storm criticizing him for including untrue portions in his reported memoir A Million Little Pieces. He appeared on Larry King Live to defend his position and Oprah called in to lend her support (which coincidentally was the first time she had ever done so). As accusations against Frey continued to swirl, Oprah invited him on her show to clarify the story. When Frey admitted to several embellishments, Oprah lambasted him (something she came to regret). The future did not look bright for Frey after the Queen of talk-shows turned against him.

How did this go so wrong? The answer is routed in Oprah’s approach to delegating.

The 3 Critical Ingredients for Effective Delegating

Delegating is a fairly straight-forward process when you break it down: You assign the work, you check in on the progress and you provide feedback. As simple as this all sounds, we get into trouble when we skip key parts. Let’s consider what happened with Oprah:

Step 1: Assigning the Work

Generally, three questions need to be addressed when we assign work: What do we want? When do we want it? And how do we want it? The level of detail and direction depends on the situation and the experience of the person to whom we are delegating.

I have every confidence that Oprah has a good routine in place when she assigns work to her producers (such are preparing for the James Frey interview).

Step 2: Review the Work

Mutually, we need to determine how often we need to meet to review the work. Ideally, these meetings are scheduled in advance to make sure they don’t fall off the radar.

Lots of times, this crucial step gets skipped. Especially when the people we are delegating to are highly effective (as Oprah’s producers likely are) and we are busy ourselves (as Oprah undoubtedly is).

Step 3: Provide Feedback

The third step requires us to provide feedback. In fact, it is our obligation as a delegator. People learn by doing, and we can help them in this process by pointing out some blind spots. My understanding is that Oprah is excellent at providing feedback.

So Where Did Oprah Go Wrong?

Not to pick on Oprah – because in all honesty, I greatly admire her. But she slipped in a place where many also stumble: not holding regular reviews.

Oprah’s producers led Frey to believe that his 2006 interview with Oprah would have an atmosphere of ‘forgiveness and redemption’. Frey was not prepared for or expecting to be lambasted by Oprah.

The public was also surprised at Oprah’s harsh approach with Frey.  But the real surprise lay with Oprah, as she was not aware of what her producers had told Frey.

Had she reviewed the plan with her producers before the show (a crucial step in the delegating process), things might have gone differently. Oprah may have gotten lucky in the past skipping the reviews, but this time it came back to bite her.

Is there a happy ending?

After years of reflection and some criticism, Oprah admitted that her approach with Frey was too harsh. She invited Frey back on her show in 2011 to graciously apologize for her approach.

And how has James Frey fared through all of this? “”In a way, as bad as it was, it was one of the best things that happened to me. Sometimes you need to go through bad things to arrive at a good place.”

One of the keys to delegation (and to an everyday, smooth flow in your office and your business) is to create an operations manual. This may feel like an overwhelming task, but it is not…if you follow the tips in this article.

First, let’s agree on some principles:

• Recognize that an operations manual is created one process or procedure at a time.  You may put together your entire operations manual (OM) over the period of six months to a year (or even longer, but I don’t recommend setting that as your goal).
• Recognize that each section of your operations manual (OM) will provide a step-by-step set of instructions for how to perform a particular procedure or complete a particular project. Conceive of manageable chunks of this project throughout its creation
• Recognize that you (or someone else) will write each section of your OM one step at a time.  Now, doesn’t that feel manageable?  Just breathe.  You can do this.

So, what can you do to start writing your OM this week?  Follow these 7 steps:

1. The next time you notice that you are doing something for the 2nd or 22nd time, open a Word document and label it Operations Manual for __________________.  Insert the name of whatever the procedure or project is.
2. As you begin to work through the series of tasks that allow you to complete the procedure or project, document each step – AS YOU DO THE STEP. This may seem painful, but believe me, it is less painful than continuing to do something that you could easily delegate or assign to someone else (thereby allow yourself to work on – or play with – other projects and parts of life).
3. Include every step, regardless of how small it seems. Don’t assume that someone else will be able to make the mental leaps and connections that you can. If you want to be able to enlist the help of someone else to take over all or part of this procedure or series of tasks – and to do so in such a way that allows you to have peace of mind that it will happen just as requested – then write down ALL the steps.
4. Write down the time you expect this particular procedure to take. Be reasonable in your time expectations and note a range, as appropriate.
5. Capture any special notations or directions that amplify or further explain the series of steps/tasks. If you know there are areas that can interfere with the smooth completion of the procedure or process, it is wise to make a note in your Operations Manual (OM).
6. Give the OM to someone who has never done the procedure for which you are providing directions. Have him/her actually DO whatever it is you have described in the Operations Manual without additional input from you. If any of the directions appear to be open to interpretation (which is indicated by the other person struggling with doing EXACTLY what you want), then make note of those areas.
7. Revise your OM as needed. Then, either have someone different complete the steps or put this set of directions into your company’s master Operations and Procedure Manual.

I know that this potentially sounds tedious. But here is what I also know: The longer you keep doing what you very well could be having someone else do for you, the more money you are costing your business and yourself.

Imagine how great it will feel to delegate particular tasks – with the peace of mind that the tasks will be done as well (or even better) than you could do them.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. is known as the Ph.D. of Productivity™.  She works with professionals around the globe who want to be more productive so that they can keep their emphasis on excellence.  Thus, her company name is Emphasis on Excellence, Inc.  You may access Meggin’s tips, teleseminars, and other resources by going to www.meggin.com.  For free weekly productivity tips, just go to www.TopTenProductivityTips.com and you’ll see the range of resources you may access there.

Thanks is motivational.  It is amazing what you can get with a simple verbal thank you.  Couple that with an email or even a personal note and you will be in the top 1% of delegators.

People love to be delegated to if they feel respected.  And they even “find time” if they respect the person delegating and are appreciated.

We all know the why to delegate.  Of course – to save time.  But that is not even the only reason.  A great reason to delegate is to let someone who is more capable do the job.  Delegate to someone who can do the task easier, better or faster than you.

Politeness is a must for all areas of delegation, regardless of the medium of communication. Always ask someone to do something, never demand. Often, the input that you receive from someone who you have asked to do the task is very helpful. Remember, you asked them to do the task for a reason: they are able to do it easier, better, or faster than you can. So be aware of their opinion and the suggestions that they have to offer.

Remember, we all have strengths and weaknesses. Try to coach people on their weaknesses, and respect them for their strengths. Ask them to accomplish tasks that accentuate their strengths. This is a question of properly using human resources. Don’t give the task to Bob when Sue will get it done faster, better, and easier.

Sometimes delegation is a long-term investment. If you take the time to train someone properly now, it will save both of you time and hassle in the long-run.

One of the most important elements of feedback is saying Thank You. This is not only common courtesy but common sense. If the people that you trust to complete your projects feel underappreciated, they will no longer want to do the task that you assign to them. Even if they do continue to do the work, they will be resentful or apathetic towards it, and as such, will not do a good job. So remembering to say a quick “Thanks!” is not only polite, but also important.

Jim Estill started a technology distribution company from the trunk of his car and grew it to $350,000,000.  After selling it, he ran the division from $800,000,000 to $2 Billion.  He wrote a book “Time Leadership – Using the Secrets of Leadership for Time Management.” Please see his blog: www.jimestill.com .